- Jun 25, 2006
- 5,046
- 1
- 38
by Marc David
With every bodybuilding program that hits the market, over time people have a slew of questions that the book or forums might not answer. While the carb backloading pdf is filled with science references and a complete table of contents, the one thing missing is organization. While this is such a simple protocol to follow, there’s hidden gems in single sentences strewn throughout the book. You will have to re-read it several times to catch these eye-opening observations. This carb backloading FAQ is an attempt to answer some of your questions that might be found in the manual or just thru my own 4 month usage of the protocol.
The Carb Backloading FAQ:
Q: I’m overweight. Can fat guys do carb back loading?
A: Depends on what you mean by “fat.” If you are 20% body fat or higher, I’d suggest the Carb Nite Solution (same author) and really focus on fat loss. While you can use the Strength Accumulation phase to shed fat, if you are what most would consider beyond lean, try the Carb Nite Solution. Burn off body fat and when you lean up, I’d try Carb Backloading.
Q: Can I use creatine on Carb Back Loading?
A: YES! And the author, John Keifer highly recommends you do. There’s many benefits to creatine beyond just the building muscle that most people seek.
Q: Can you drink coconut oil on Carb Back Loading?
A: Yes. Again, it’s highly recommended as coconut oil is a medium chain triglyceride (MCT). This healthy fat can be used as energy. You will use it quite often in the plan upon waking and again before training.
Q: Do you take the Accelerator Shake (referred to as the morning shake) on Off-Days?
A: You sure do. The Accelerator Shake is used to break the fast but keep you in prime fat burning mode. It can be used on your non-training days.
Q: Is Carb Back Loading a program for people who workout in the morning? What about if I workout late or mid-day?
A: I’ll admit the author is biased towards late afternoon workouts but there are specific tweaks called “Nobody’s Perfect” that allow you to use the carb back loading principles to your advantage no matter what time you workout. While it may not be ideal, the changes out outlined for whatever your workout schedule allows.
Q: Do you eat breakfast on Carb Backloading or the Carb Nite Solution?
A: Without going into the fine details, let’s just say you post-pone breakfast. If you are seeking the most muscle, you won’t postpone it for long (2 hours after waking up; 12 hours since the last meal) and maybe longer if fat loss is your primary goal. You’ll just eat breakfast later and not right after waking up.
Q: Do I need to do 10 Low Carb days before Carb Back Loading?
A: If you are already a low percentage of body fat, 10% or lower, then you do not need to do this phase. If you are above 10%, it’s suggested that you do the 10 day prep phase for the best results. I did the 10 day prep phase when I started Carb Back Loading and it was a valuable experience and helped me fine tune the number of carbs I would use.
Q: How many calories should I eat with Carb Backloading?
A: I really have no idea. There’s no reason to count calories on this program and there’s never any mention of it or formulas. You will get instructions on how many grams of fats and protein before training and how many carbs, fats and protein to eat after but the concept of counting calories is not used in this program. When you design your meal plan based on your macronutrients, you will see how many calories it adds up to which may or may not be way over what traditional formulas recommend. It’s quite an eye-opening experience.
Q: Does Carb Backloading by John Keifer really work?
A: See my Carb Backloading review.
Q: What are usable carbs for Carb Back Loading?
A: From the body’s point of view, only two types of carb exist: usable carbs and fiber. These burnable, fat-inducing carbs include sugar, starch, glycerine and sugar alcohols are what make up the term usable carbs.
Q: What do you eat on Carb Back-Loading? Can I eat celery on a Carb Backload day?
A: See my Carb Back Loading meal plan. Things like celery (vegetable; fiber) are encouraged and part of the many list of items you can eat on the ultra-low carb portion of the day. The appendix in the book lists out many vegetables that you may want to try to broaden your outlook.
Q: Can I use Carb BackLoading for Fat Loss?
A: If you are over 20% body fat, I’d recommend the Carb Nite Solution but you can use the Strenght Accmulation phase of the program to focus on fat loss while increasing strength. It’s the body composition portion of the guide that just has some changes from the basic mass gaining plan.
Q: Can I have carbs during my training while using Carb Backloading?
A: If your workouts go over and hour, you can include some carbs in your intra-training shake. This comes from a podcast and won’t be found anywhere in the book.
Q: When Carb Back Loading, when should you have your first meal after waking?
A: The answer to this question depends on if your primary goal is Density Bulking (weight and muscle) or Strength Accmulation (fat loss). If you are Density Bulking, you will want your Accelerator Shake upon waking and about an hour before eating your first real food meal. If you are doing Strength Accmulation, you might do just black coffee to prolong the fasting period and then use the Accelerator Shake more than once to push your first meal out even further.
Q: Is 350g of carbs too much to build muscle?
A: It might be or it might be too little. That’s what the 10 Day Prep helps to determine. The weight you lose during this phase is nearly all glycogen. The total number of carbs is determined on a chart from the weight lost over this short time period. If you opted to do the prep phase, you’ll have a pretty good idea of how many carbs per day it will take for you to gain mass and build muscle.
Q: What are you supposed to eat on the ultra low carb prep phase of Carb Back Loading?
A: I’ve outlined what I eat during the early part of the day while Carb Back Loading. The same foods I eat pre-training are similar to what you can eat during the prep phase. Both are just ultra-low carb prior to training. The only difference is, during the 10 day prep phase, you stay ultra-low carb and when on the full program, after training is where the fun begins!
Here is what I used for my 10 Day ULC Prep Phase:
Non Training Day
Upon Waking
* Coffee
* Whey Isolate (10g protein)
* Coconut Oil (1 tbsp)
* Multivitamin
* 1 x Fish Oils
* 5g creatine
Lunch
* Chicken Breast
* Lettuce (2-3 cups)
* Olive Oil (2 tbsp)
* Vinegar to taste
* Veggies (e.g tomatoes, cucumber, olives, onion)
* 1 x Fish Oils
* 5g creatine
Snack
* Hard Boiled Eggs x 2
* Almonds (1/4 cup)
* 5g creatine
Dinner
* Steak (or other protein source substitute)
* Asparagus (1-2 cups or other veggie)
* Butter (2 tbsp)
* 1 x Fish Oils
* 5g creatine
* Before Bed
* Cottage Cheese (1-2 cups)
Training Day
* Upon Waking
* Coffee
* Coconut Oil (1 tbsp)
* Whey Isolate (10g protein)
* Multivitamin
* 1 x Fish Oils
* 5g creatine
Lunch
* Chicken Breast
* Lettuce (2-3 cups)
* Olive Oil (2 tbsp)
* Vinegar to taste
* Veggies (e.g tomatoes, cucumber, olives, onion)
* 1 x Fish Oils
* 5g creatine
Snack
* Hard Boiled Eggs x 2
* Almonds (1/2 cup)
* Pre-Training (30 mins before)
* Coffee
* Whey Isolate (10g protein)
* 5g creatine
During Training
* Whey Isolate (10g protein)
* Casein Hydrolyzed (20 g)
* Leucine (5 grams)
Post Training (20 mins after)
* Coffee
* Whey Isolate (30g)
* Casein (20g)
* Whey Hydrolyzed (25g)
* 5g Leucine
* 5g creatine
Dinner
* Grass Fed Beef
* Broccoli (2 cups)
* 1 x Fish Oils
* 5g creatine
* Before Bed
* Cottage Cheese (1-2 cups)
* Almond Butter
Be Fit, Stay Strong!
With every bodybuilding program that hits the market, over time people have a slew of questions that the book or forums might not answer. While the carb backloading pdf is filled with science references and a complete table of contents, the one thing missing is organization. While this is such a simple protocol to follow, there’s hidden gems in single sentences strewn throughout the book. You will have to re-read it several times to catch these eye-opening observations. This carb backloading FAQ is an attempt to answer some of your questions that might be found in the manual or just thru my own 4 month usage of the protocol.
The Carb Backloading FAQ:
Q: I’m overweight. Can fat guys do carb back loading?
A: Depends on what you mean by “fat.” If you are 20% body fat or higher, I’d suggest the Carb Nite Solution (same author) and really focus on fat loss. While you can use the Strength Accumulation phase to shed fat, if you are what most would consider beyond lean, try the Carb Nite Solution. Burn off body fat and when you lean up, I’d try Carb Backloading.
Q: Can I use creatine on Carb Back Loading?
A: YES! And the author, John Keifer highly recommends you do. There’s many benefits to creatine beyond just the building muscle that most people seek.
Q: Can you drink coconut oil on Carb Back Loading?
A: Yes. Again, it’s highly recommended as coconut oil is a medium chain triglyceride (MCT). This healthy fat can be used as energy. You will use it quite often in the plan upon waking and again before training.
Q: Do you take the Accelerator Shake (referred to as the morning shake) on Off-Days?
A: You sure do. The Accelerator Shake is used to break the fast but keep you in prime fat burning mode. It can be used on your non-training days.
Q: Is Carb Back Loading a program for people who workout in the morning? What about if I workout late or mid-day?
A: I’ll admit the author is biased towards late afternoon workouts but there are specific tweaks called “Nobody’s Perfect” that allow you to use the carb back loading principles to your advantage no matter what time you workout. While it may not be ideal, the changes out outlined for whatever your workout schedule allows.
Q: Do you eat breakfast on Carb Backloading or the Carb Nite Solution?
A: Without going into the fine details, let’s just say you post-pone breakfast. If you are seeking the most muscle, you won’t postpone it for long (2 hours after waking up; 12 hours since the last meal) and maybe longer if fat loss is your primary goal. You’ll just eat breakfast later and not right after waking up.
Q: Do I need to do 10 Low Carb days before Carb Back Loading?
A: If you are already a low percentage of body fat, 10% or lower, then you do not need to do this phase. If you are above 10%, it’s suggested that you do the 10 day prep phase for the best results. I did the 10 day prep phase when I started Carb Back Loading and it was a valuable experience and helped me fine tune the number of carbs I would use.
Q: How many calories should I eat with Carb Backloading?
A: I really have no idea. There’s no reason to count calories on this program and there’s never any mention of it or formulas. You will get instructions on how many grams of fats and protein before training and how many carbs, fats and protein to eat after but the concept of counting calories is not used in this program. When you design your meal plan based on your macronutrients, you will see how many calories it adds up to which may or may not be way over what traditional formulas recommend. It’s quite an eye-opening experience.
Q: Does Carb Backloading by John Keifer really work?
A: See my Carb Backloading review.
Q: What are usable carbs for Carb Back Loading?
A: From the body’s point of view, only two types of carb exist: usable carbs and fiber. These burnable, fat-inducing carbs include sugar, starch, glycerine and sugar alcohols are what make up the term usable carbs.
Q: What do you eat on Carb Back-Loading? Can I eat celery on a Carb Backload day?
A: See my Carb Back Loading meal plan. Things like celery (vegetable; fiber) are encouraged and part of the many list of items you can eat on the ultra-low carb portion of the day. The appendix in the book lists out many vegetables that you may want to try to broaden your outlook.
Q: Can I use Carb BackLoading for Fat Loss?
A: If you are over 20% body fat, I’d recommend the Carb Nite Solution but you can use the Strenght Accmulation phase of the program to focus on fat loss while increasing strength. It’s the body composition portion of the guide that just has some changes from the basic mass gaining plan.
Q: Can I have carbs during my training while using Carb Backloading?
A: If your workouts go over and hour, you can include some carbs in your intra-training shake. This comes from a podcast and won’t be found anywhere in the book.
Q: When Carb Back Loading, when should you have your first meal after waking?
A: The answer to this question depends on if your primary goal is Density Bulking (weight and muscle) or Strength Accmulation (fat loss). If you are Density Bulking, you will want your Accelerator Shake upon waking and about an hour before eating your first real food meal. If you are doing Strength Accmulation, you might do just black coffee to prolong the fasting period and then use the Accelerator Shake more than once to push your first meal out even further.
Q: Is 350g of carbs too much to build muscle?
A: It might be or it might be too little. That’s what the 10 Day Prep helps to determine. The weight you lose during this phase is nearly all glycogen. The total number of carbs is determined on a chart from the weight lost over this short time period. If you opted to do the prep phase, you’ll have a pretty good idea of how many carbs per day it will take for you to gain mass and build muscle.
Q: What are you supposed to eat on the ultra low carb prep phase of Carb Back Loading?
A: I’ve outlined what I eat during the early part of the day while Carb Back Loading. The same foods I eat pre-training are similar to what you can eat during the prep phase. Both are just ultra-low carb prior to training. The only difference is, during the 10 day prep phase, you stay ultra-low carb and when on the full program, after training is where the fun begins!
Here is what I used for my 10 Day ULC Prep Phase:
Non Training Day
Upon Waking
* Coffee
* Whey Isolate (10g protein)
* Coconut Oil (1 tbsp)
* Multivitamin
* 1 x Fish Oils
* 5g creatine
Lunch
* Chicken Breast
* Lettuce (2-3 cups)
* Olive Oil (2 tbsp)
* Vinegar to taste
* Veggies (e.g tomatoes, cucumber, olives, onion)
* 1 x Fish Oils
* 5g creatine
Snack
* Hard Boiled Eggs x 2
* Almonds (1/4 cup)
* 5g creatine
Dinner
* Steak (or other protein source substitute)
* Asparagus (1-2 cups or other veggie)
* Butter (2 tbsp)
* 1 x Fish Oils
* 5g creatine
* Before Bed
* Cottage Cheese (1-2 cups)
Training Day
* Upon Waking
* Coffee
* Coconut Oil (1 tbsp)
* Whey Isolate (10g protein)
* Multivitamin
* 1 x Fish Oils
* 5g creatine
Lunch
* Chicken Breast
* Lettuce (2-3 cups)
* Olive Oil (2 tbsp)
* Vinegar to taste
* Veggies (e.g tomatoes, cucumber, olives, onion)
* 1 x Fish Oils
* 5g creatine
Snack
* Hard Boiled Eggs x 2
* Almonds (1/2 cup)
* Pre-Training (30 mins before)
* Coffee
* Whey Isolate (10g protein)
* 5g creatine
During Training
* Whey Isolate (10g protein)
* Casein Hydrolyzed (20 g)
* Leucine (5 grams)
Post Training (20 mins after)
* Coffee
* Whey Isolate (30g)
* Casein (20g)
* Whey Hydrolyzed (25g)
* 5g Leucine
* 5g creatine
Dinner
* Grass Fed Beef
* Broccoli (2 cups)
* 1 x Fish Oils
* 5g creatine
* Before Bed
* Cottage Cheese (1-2 cups)
* Almond Butter
Be Fit, Stay Strong!
